Israel, much like the fortress of Tel-Chai that Jospeh Trumpeldor fought to defend against Arab conquerors in 1920, finds itself beseiged by enemies both within and without. Terrorists, would-be friends inside and outside Israel, and even bad government officials. Here are the discussions of one proud Zionist resident on the state of the nation and abroad.

Poll finds US public sees irresponsible parents and Tinseltown as the ones to blame for violence, not guns

Americans place more blame for mass shootings on parents and Hollywood than they do on guns, a surprising new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll reveals.

Asked how much responsibility several choices might bear for the shootings that have taken place in Tucson, Ariz.; Aurora, Colo.; and Newtown, Conn., guns came in fifth.

The top choice was “parents not paying enough attention to what is going on in their children’s lives” — 83 percent said that was “a great deal” or a “good amount” responsible. Only 4 percent said “none at all.”

The second choice, selected by 82 percent as “a great deal”
or “a good amount,” was “the lack of effective treatment for mental illness.”

Next came “the amount of media coverage of mass shootings,” at 67 percent.

Fourth was “movies, television programs, and video games that portray violence and violent behavior,” chosen by 62 percent.

Tied for fifth place at 59 percent each was “assault and military-style firearms being legal to purchase,” and “the availability of high capacity ammunition clips.”

Another 49 percent blamed “the lack of security measures at schools, malls, and other places where people gather.”

There we have it, quite a lot of people seem to understand what the causes of deadly violence in the USA really are - poor parenting and when that happens, it should be no surprise that movies and games could end up being such a bad influence. If parents would just encourage their children to read literature and non-fiction books more often, plus play a game of Tetris, which I find quite absorbing, and not act as though there's no alternative to movies with mayhem, then I think there'd be a much safer environment around.

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About me

I'm Avi Green

From Jerusalem, Israel

I was born in Pennsylvania in 1974, and moved to Israel in 1983. I also enjoyed reading a lot of comics when I was young, the first being Fantastic Four. I maintain a strong belief in the public's right to knowledge and accuracy in facts. I like to think of myself as a conservative-style version of Clark Kent. I don't expect to be perfect at the job, but I do my best.